JP2005228004A - Computer remote diagnosis and restoration system, server, program, and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To discriminate which of software and hardware has caused a failure generated in a computer by collecting error information through the Internet in order to remove the failure by an automatic or remote operation. <P>SOLUTION: A system is provided with: a user terminal 10 which executes a self-diagnosis after an error occurs, and transmits information on the result of the self-diagnosis including an error code to a maker server, and executes a predetermined correction program based on a correction command from the maker server, or executes a remote operation through the maker server from a maker terminal 30; a maker server 20 having an error DB for retrieving the error DB by using the received error code to acquire the corresponding error classification, and for discriminating whether the error is a software error, hardware error or the other errors, and for making the terminal 10 execute a command corresponding to the error code based on the result of the discrimination, or for making the terminal 10 execute a remote operation from the maker terminal 30; and the maker terminal 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention collects error information via a network when a failure occurs in a computer used by a general user, determines whether the failure is caused by software or hardware, and automatically or remotely The present invention relates to a computer remote diagnosis and repair system, a server, a program, and a method for removing the failure by operation or the like.

In recent years, computers have been widely spread and used by many people regardless of age or sex in various environments such as businesses, schools, and homes.
If this computer fails, the user should contact the computer manufacturer's support center, etc., and if it can be repaired by itself, repair it according to the instructions. If the computer cannot be repaired by itself, it must be replaced. In such a case, the trouble is solved by requesting a repair from the support center.
However, many people who make inquiries to the support center are technically immature. For this reason, there are many cases in which the support center cannot quickly collect error information at the time of receiving an inquiry, and as a result, there is a problem that the response time until the failure is recovered becomes longer.

On the other hand, a method in which a computer maintenance person remotely manages a user's terminal device via a network is already known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
According to this conventional method, the maintenance staff can restore the internal storage device and the disk in the terminal device using the remote management program.

JP 11-296410 A

However, when many peripheral devices are added to a computer or many softwares are installed and used by many people for various purposes, the problem cannot be solved properly only by the conventional method. Has arisen.
In other words, some computer failures are caused by hardware, some are caused by software, some can be resolved automatically by running a repair program, and some are manually repaired. It may be necessary. To respond accurately to inquiries from many general users via networks such as the Internet, and to quickly resolve problems, it is necessary to provide a system that can respond appropriately to all these cases. desirable. In particular, when the user is technically immature, the manufacturer side is required to provide more detailed and thorough support.
However, the conventional method cannot properly handle many types of errors, and does not perform processing according to the type of software error or hardware error. When used, maintenance personnel often had to repair the computer directly as a result.

  The present invention is considered in view of the above circumstances, and when a failure occurs in a computer used by a general user, error information is collected via a network such as the Internet, and the failure is detected as software or hardware. It is an object of the present invention to provide a computer remote diagnosis / repair system, server, program, and method that can determine whether it is caused by wear and remove the failure automatically or remotely.

  In order to achieve the above object, a computer remote diagnosis and repair system according to the present invention is a computer remote diagnosis and repair system that recovers a user terminal in which an error has occurred via a network, and executes a self-diagnosis when an error occurs. The self-diagnosis result information including the error code of the error is transmitted to the maker server, and a predetermined correction program is executed based on the correction command received from the maker server, or remote operation via the maker server from the maker terminal. Error database that stores error codes, error types, and correction commands, searches error databases using error codes received from user terminals, and obtains the corresponding error types. Software error, hardware error, or A maker server that determines which of the other errors is determined, causes the user terminal to execute a correction command corresponding to the error code, or to perform a remote operation from the maker terminal based on the determination result; And a maker terminal that transmits and receives remote operation information to and from the user terminal via the maker server and the network.

If the computer remote diagnosis and repair system has such a configuration, when an error occurs in the user terminal, first, the self-diagnosis is executed in the user terminal, and the result is acquired and analyzed by the manufacturer server. It is possible to determine whether it is an error, a hardware error, or any other error.
Then, the manufacturer server automatically causes the user terminal to repair if it can be automatically repaired according to each error, and displays the error content on the manufacturer terminal if it cannot be automatically repaired. By instructing the remote operation, the remote operation from the manufacturer terminal to the user terminal is executed via the manufacturer server. This makes it possible to perform diagnosis and recovery processing from the manufacturer terminal.
For this reason, even when the user of the user terminal does not have detailed knowledge about the user terminal, the recovery can be performed efficiently in a short time.

  Further, in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system according to the present invention, when it is determined as a result of the determination that the error is a software error, the user terminal performs a predetermined correction program based on a correction command in response to a request from the manufacturer server. And the self-diagnosis is re-executed and the result of this self-diagnosis is transmitted to the manufacturer server. A remote operation is executed, and the user terminal executes a remote operation from the manufacturer terminal via the manufacturer server.

If the computer remote diagnosis and repair system is configured as described above, when the error is determined to be a software error, the repair program is first executed on the user terminal to execute self-diagnosis.
If this does not recover, display the error details on the manufacturer terminal, issue a remote operation instruction to the maintenance staff, and execute the diagnosis by remotely operating the user terminal from the manufacturer terminal via the manufacturer server. And recovery can be performed.

  In the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of the present invention, the manufacturer server includes a failure history database that stores history information of errors that have occurred in the user terminal. As a result of the determination, the error is determined to be a hardware error. In this case, the user terminal re-executes self-diagnosis in response to a request from the manufacturer server, transmits the self-diagnosis result to the manufacturer server, and the manufacturer server does not restore the self-diagnosis result to the user terminal. If the error code is already registered in the failure history database, the remote operation from the manufacturer terminal is executed, and the user terminal is connected to the manufacturer terminal. Remote control via a maker server from

If the computer remote diagnosis and repair system has such a configuration, when the error is determined to be a hardware error, the automatic diagnosis in the user terminal is first re-executed to determine whether or not the error has been recovered. Even if it is recovered, check whether the same error has occurred in the past, and if the same error has occurred in the past, consider the possibility of recurrence and recover. The processing can be performed in the same manner as in the case of not.
In other words, if it has not been recovered, the error content is displayed on the manufacturer terminal, the maintenance staff is prompted to remotely operate the user terminal, and the user terminal is remotely displayed to indicate that the parts need to be replaced, and the parts are replaced. It becomes possible.

  Further, in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of the present invention, when it is determined that the error is neither a software error nor a hardware error, the user terminal performs self-diagnosis in response to a request from the manufacturer server. Is re-executed, and the result of this self-diagnosis is transmitted to the manufacturer server. If the manufacturer server indicates that the user terminal has not recovered, remote control from the manufacturer terminal is executed and the user The terminal is configured to perform remote operation from the manufacturer terminal via the manufacturer server.

  If the computer remote diagnosis and repair system has such a configuration, if it is determined that the error is neither a software error nor a hardware error, the auto-diagnosis at the user terminal is executed again, and the manufacturer terminal is restored if the error is not recovered. By performing remote operation from the maker terminal, data collection and diagnosis of the user terminal is performed from the manufacturer terminal, and it is determined again whether it is a software error, a hardware error, or other error, Processing according to each can be executed.

  The computer remote diagnosis and repair server of the present invention is a computer remote diagnosis and repair server that recovers a user terminal in which an error has occurred via a network, and has an error database having an error code, an error type, and a correction command; By searching the error database using the error code received from the user terminal and acquiring the corresponding error type, it is determined whether the error is a software error, a hardware error, or another error, and this determination Based on the result, a processing device is provided that causes the user terminal to execute a correction command corresponding to the error code or to execute a remote operation from the manufacturer terminal.

  The computer remote diagnosis and repair program of the present invention is a computer remote for restoring a user terminal in which an error has occurred to a manufacturer server having an error database having an error code, an error type, and a correction command via a network. A diagnostic and repair program that causes the manufacturer server to search the error database using the error code received from the user terminal and obtain the corresponding error type, so that the error is a software error, hardware error, or other error The user terminal is caused to execute a correction command corresponding to the error code, or a remote operation from the manufacturer terminal is executed based on the determination result.

  Further, the computer remote diagnosis and repair method of the present invention restores a user terminal in which an error has occurred via a network by using a manufacturer server having an error database having an error code, an error type, and a correction command. In this method, when an error occurs, the user terminal executes self-diagnosis, transmits self-diagnosis result information including the error code of the error to the manufacturer server, and the manufacturer server receives the error code received from the user terminal. The error database is searched and the corresponding error type is acquired to determine whether the error is a software error, a hardware error, or another error. Based on this determination result, the user terminal On the other hand, execute a correction command corresponding to the error code, or Method for executing remote operation from a maker terminal and executing a predetermined correction program based on a correction command received from a maker server by a user terminal, or executing a remote operation from a maker terminal via a maker server It is as.

If the computer remote diagnosis and repair server and the computer remote diagnosis and repair program have such a configuration and the computer remote diagnosis and repair method is configured as described above, when an error occurs in the user terminal, the manufacturer server performs the self-test in the user terminal. Based on the diagnosis result, it is possible to determine whether the error is a software error, a hardware error, or another error.
The maker server and maker terminal can perform appropriate restoration processing according to the type, and the minimum that cannot be restored by remote operation such as parts replacement when the maintenance staff must directly repair the user terminal. It is possible to suppress it in the limit case.

According to the present invention, when a failure occurs in a computer used by a general user, error information is collected via a network such as the Internet, and it is determined whether the failure is caused by software or hardware. Thus, it is possible to remove the obstacle by automatic or remote operation.
For this reason, it is possible to efficiently and accurately take a short time in response to an inquiry from a technically inexperienced user.

A preferred embodiment of a computer remote diagnosis and repair system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In addition, the computer remote diagnosis repair system of this invention shown to the following embodiment is operate | moved by the computer controlled by the program. The CPU of the computer sends a command to each component of the computer based on the program to perform predetermined processing necessary for the operation of the manufacturer server, for example, error type determination processing, error database search processing, and the like. Thus, each process and operation in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of the present invention can be realized by specific means in which the program and the computer cooperate.
The program is stored in advance in a recording medium such as a ROM and a RAM, and is executed by causing the computer to read the program from a recording medium mounted on the computer. For example, the program may be read by the computer via a communication line.
Further, the recording medium for storing the program can be constituted by, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or any other recording means readable by any computer.

[Computer remote diagnosis and repair system]
First, the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a computer remote diagnosis and repair system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the user terminal in the system. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a nonvolatile memory in the system. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data structure of an error history in the system. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the manufacturer server in the system. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data structure of an error database in the system. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data structure of a failure history in the system. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a data structure of user information in the system. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a data structure of correction data in the system. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a CD-ROM in the system.
As shown in FIG. 1, the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of this embodiment includes a user terminal 10, a manufacturer server 20, a manufacturer terminal 30, a CD-ROM 40, and the Internet 50.

[User terminal 10]
The user terminal 10 is a computer such as a personal computer having a function of connecting to the Internet 50. In FIG. 1, in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system, only one user terminal 10 is displayed, but two or more user terminals 10 may be provided. Also, two or more CD-ROMs 40 can be provided corresponding to the user terminal 10.
As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 10 includes an external power supply device 101, a CPU 102, a memory 103, a hard disk 104, a CD-ROM device 105, an external display device 106, an external keyboard 107, a rechargeable battery 108, a sub CPU 109, a liquid crystal display. A display unit 110, a modem 111, and a nonvolatile memory 112 are included.

  The external power supply device 101 is a device that supplies power necessary for the operation of the user terminal 10, and supplies power necessary for various devices in the user terminal 10. The CPU 102 is a central processing unit that executes control of various functions and data processing in the user terminal 10. The hard disk 104 is a data storage device in the user terminal 10. The memory 103 is a main storage device in the user terminal 10. The CD-ROM device 105 is a device that can read the CD-ROM 40. The CD-ROM device 105 may be a CD-R device, a CD-RW device, a DVD device, or the like. The external display device 106 is a display device such as a display. The external keyboard 107 is an input device for inputting various data and commands to the user terminal 10.

The rechargeable battery 108 accumulates power supplied from the external power supply apparatus 101 and supplies necessary power to the sub CPU 109, the liquid crystal display unit 110, the modem 111, and the nonvolatile memory 112 even when the power supply fails. is there.
The sub CPU 109 is a central processing unit for executing a program in the nonvolatile memory 112 and performing self-diagnosis processing, notification processing, correction processing, remote operation processing, and the like.

The liquid crystal display unit 110 is a display device for displaying a diagnosis result, and is provided separately from the external display device 106, so that the diagnosis result can be displayed even when a power failure occurs.
The modem 111 is a communication device for relaying a report to the maker server 20 and a remote operation from the maker terminal 30 via the maker server 20 via the network.

The nonvolatile memory 112 is a device that stores each program and log file.
As shown in FIG. 3, the nonvolatile memory 112 includes a system start program 1121, a system control program 1122, a self-diagnosis program 1123, a log collection program 1124, a modem control program 1125, a remote operation program 1126, an error history file 1127, and a correction program. 1128.

The system activation program 1121 is a program for executing system startup of the user terminal 10.
The system control program 1122 is a program for executing system control after activation in the user terminal 10.

The self-diagnosis program 1123 is a program for executing self-diagnosis in the user terminal 10 and transmitting self-diagnosis result information (hereinafter also referred to as a diagnosis result) to the manufacturer server 20.
The specific configuration may include a program for confirming hardware operation and a program for confirming software operation. In the hardware operation check part, an instruction is directly executed to each hardware part of the personal computer, and in the software operation check part, the state of each file on the disk is checked. In any case, these results are stored in the error history file 1127 by the execution of the log collection program 1124.

For example, the self-diagnosis program 1123 makes the following determination.
(1) Execution of instruction to memory A1 → Error occurrence (2) Execution of instruction to memory A2 → Error occurrence (3) Execution of instruction to memory B1 → Normal operation (4) Execution of instruction to memory B2 → Normal operation In this case, based on the self-diagnosis program 1123, it is determined that there is a problem in the portion where the memories A1 and A2 are mounted.

The log collection program 1124 is a program for collecting an error history and storing it in the error history file 1127 of the nonvolatile memory 112. The log collection program 1124 receives the diagnosis result from the self-diagnosis program 1123 and stores it in the error history file 1127.
The modem control program 1125 is a program for controlling the operation of the modem 111.

The remote operation program 1126 is a program for causing the manufacturer server 20 to perform remote operation of the user terminal 10 via the Internet 50.
By executing the remote operation program 1126, the user terminal 10 responds to the operation of the maker terminal 30 connected to the maker server 20, and executes a command for each part of the hardware of the user terminal 10 and each part of the software. .
The result is returned to the manufacturer server 20 by the modem control program 1125. At the same time, it is stored in the error history file 1127 by the log collection program 1124.
Thus, the maintenance staff can operate the manufacturer terminal 30 to perform data collection and restoration activities as if they were in front of the user terminal 10.

The error history file 1127 is a file that stores a history of errors and the like collected by executing the log collection program 1124. FIG. 4 shows an example of the data structure of the error history file 1127.
The correction program 1128 is a program for automatically repairing an error caused by software.

[Manufacturer server 20]
The manufacturer server 20 (computer remote diagnosis and repair server) receives the self-diagnosis result information from the user terminal 10 and searches the error database 203 using the error code included in the self-diagnosis result information to thereby determine the type of error. And the user terminal 10 is instructed to execute processing for recovery corresponding to each of the above. In addition, the failure history is registered in the failure history 204, and new errors are registered in the error database 203.
As shown in FIG. 5, the manufacturer server 20 includes a processing device 201, a line connection program 202, an error database 203, a failure history 204, user information 205, a remote operation program 206, and correction data 207.

The processing device 201 is a processing unit that controls various processes in the maker server 20, and includes a CPU and a memory.
The processing device 201 updates the failure history 204 based on the diagnosis result received from the user terminal 10 and searches the error database 203 using the error code included in the diagnosis result as a key. Then, the error content corresponding to the error code, the necessary action (“correction method”), and the like are acquired, and the error type is determined at the same time.
The determination of the error type can be performed by acquiring the error type corresponding to the error code from the error database 203.
In addition, the error database 203 and the failure history 204 are updated using manually input data or the like.

The line connection program 202 is a program for connecting the maker server 20 to the Internet 50 and is executed by the processing device 201.
The error database 203 is a storage device that holds recovery methods for various errors, and can have a data structure as shown in FIG. 6, for example.
In the figure, the error database 203 stores information such as “error code”, “error type”, “error content”, “suspected part”, “correction method”, “correction command”, “related file” for each record. I have it.

The failure history 204 is a storage device such as a database that stores history information of errors that have occurred in the user terminal, and may have a data structure as shown in FIG. 7, for example.
In the figure, the failure history 204 includes information such as “user ID”, “error occurrence date / time”, “error code”, “error content”, “treatment date / time”, “treatment content”, “remarks” for each record. I have it.

The user information 205 is a storage device such as a database for managing the personal information of the user of the user terminal 10, and may have a data structure as shown in FIG. 8, for example.
In the figure, user information 205 includes “user ID”, “model name”, “OS”, “use start date”, “address”, “name”, “gender”, “birth date” for each record. It has information such as “telephone number” and “mail address”.

The remote operation program 206 is a program for remotely controlling the user terminal 10 via the Internet 50 and is executed by the processing device 201.
By executing the remote operation program 206, operation information from the manufacturer terminal 30 is transmitted to the user terminal 10, and data from the user terminal 10 is transmitted to the manufacturer terminal 30.

The correction data 207 is a storage device such as a database that stores data for correcting a program that is a suspected part in the user terminal 10.
Each file in the correction data 207 is associated with an error code as a related file as necessary when the error type is a software error in the error database 203. FIG. 9 shows an example of the data structure of such correction data 207.

If the related file is associated with the error code included in the diagnosis result received from the user terminal 10, the maker server 20 determines the suspected part in the user terminal 10 according to the corresponding correction method in the error database 203. Modify using related files.
For example, when the AAA file is invalid in the user terminal 10, it is necessary to correct the AAA file. In this case, the maker server 20 transmits the AAA file stored in the correction data 207 to the user terminal 10, and the user terminal 10 overwrites the received AAA file on the original file and restores the correct state. Execute.

[CD-ROM40]
The CD-ROM 40 is a storage medium that is loaded into the CD-ROM device 105 in the user terminal 10 and read by the user terminal 10.
As shown in FIG. 10, the CD-ROM 40 includes an automatic installation program 401, a system startup program 402, a system control program 403, a self-diagnosis program 404, a log collection program 405, a modem control program 406, a remote operation program 407, and a correction program 408. have.

  The automatic installation program 401 is activated by the user terminal 10, and the system activation program 402, system control program 403, self-diagnosis program 404, log collection program 405, modem control program 406, remote operation program 407, correction program in the CD-ROM 40 408 is copied to the nonvolatile memory 112. The copied programs are stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 as a system startup program 1121, a system control program 1122, a self-diagnosis program 1123, a log collection program 1124, a modem control program 1125, a remote operation program 1126, a correction program 1128, and the like. To do.

  Next, a processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 is a flowchart showing an error determination processing procedure, FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a software error processing procedure, FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a hardware error processing procedure, and FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing other error processing procedures. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure for installing into the nonvolatile memory, and FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a procedure for updating the error database.

First, an error determination processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
When an error occurs in the user terminal 10 (step 10), the sub CPU 109 activates the log collection program 1124 by executing the system control program 1122 in the nonvolatile memory 112. Then, with this log collection program 1124, the sub CPU 109 collects an error log and records it in the error history file 1127 (step 11).

  Next, the sub CPU 109 executes the system activation program 1121 to start up the system in the user terminal 10 (step 12). Note that starting up the system does not mean restarting the OS. The system activation program 1121 activates the user terminal 10 without depending on a specific OS.

After starting the system, the sub CPU 109 executes a self-diagnosis program 1123. By this self-diagnosis program 1123, the sub CPU 109 executes diagnosis of various software and hardware in the user terminal 10 (step 13), and transmits the diagnosis result to the manufacturer server 20 (step 14).
As the self-diagnosis result information, in addition to the “error occurrence date and time” and “error code” recorded in the error history file 1127 in step 11, “error content” determined by the execution of the self-diagnosis program 1123, and the user ID etc. can be mentioned.

Next, the manufacturer server 20 updates the failure history 204 using the diagnosis result received from the user terminal 10 (step 15).
At this time, a new record including information such as “user ID”, “error occurrence date / time”, “error code”, and “error content” is added to the failure history 204. The other items in this record are manually updated (registered) by a maintenance person on the manufacturer side (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a maintenance person) after recovery.

Further, the maker server 20 searches the error database 203 using the error code in the diagnosis result as a key, and acquires information such as error type, error content, suspected product, correction method, correction command, and related file. Based on the acquired error type, it can be determined whether the error type is a software error, a hardware error, or another error (step 16).
That is, when the type is S, the software error processing flow is executed thereafter. When the type is H, the hardware error processing flow is executed, and when the type is not registered, or other than S or H is registered. If so, execute another error processing flow.

Then, the maker server 20 transmits the information such as the acquired error content to the maker terminal 30, and the maker terminal 30 displays the information such as the error content on the display or the like (step 17).
Similarly, the maker server 20 transmits information such as error contents to the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 displays information such as error contents and necessary measures on the display (step 18).

Next, a software error processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
When the manufacturer server 20 determines that the error type is a software error based on the error database 203 (step 30), the manufacturer server 20 causes the user terminal 10 to automatically execute a correction command corresponding to the error code in the self-diagnosis result information. . At this time, the maker server 20 transmits a correction command to the user terminal 10 to be executed by the user terminal 10, or the user terminal 10 performs the correction in the maker server 20 based on a request from the maker server 20. It is also possible to execute correction processing with reference to the command.
This correction command corresponds to the correction program 1128 in the nonvolatile memory 112 of the user terminal 10.

Then, by executing the correction command, the corresponding correction program 1128 is executed in the user terminal 10, and the correction method corresponding to the error code is performed on the corresponding suspected part.
At this time, if a corresponding related file exists in the error database 203, the user terminal 10 receives the related file in the correction data 207 from the manufacturer server 20, and uses this related file to correct the suspected part. (Deletion, addition, overwriting, updating, etc.) are performed (step 31).

Next, the user terminal 10 activates the self-diagnosis program 1123 in the nonvolatile memory 112 and automatically executes the diagnosis again (step 32).
If the user terminal 10 is restored, the process is terminated (Yes in Step 33). If the user terminal 10 is not restored, the self-diagnosis result information about the second diagnosis is notified to the manufacturer server 20. (No in step 33).

If there is a second notification, the manufacturer server 20 determines that the user terminal 10 has not been restored, and updates the failure history 204 in the same manner as in step 15.
Similarly to the case of Step 16, the error database 203 is searched using the error code in the diagnosis result as a key, and the error content corresponding to the error code is acquired. Then, the error content and the like are displayed on the maker terminal 30 and a message requesting the remote operation diagnosis of the user terminal 10 is displayed on the maker terminal 30 (steps 34 and 35).
As a result, the maintenance staff can confirm the error content and the message requesting the remote operation diagnosis.

  The manufacturer terminal 30 is connected to the user terminal 10 via the manufacturer server 20 by executing the line connection program 202 in the manufacturer server 20. Then, by executing the remote operation program 206, the system control program 1122 and the remote operation program 1126 in the user terminal 10 are executed, and diagnosis and recovery processing are performed by remote operation from the manufacturer terminal 30 (step 36).

This remote diagnosis and recovery processing is performed when the error code of the error that has occurred is an error code that is not registered in the error database 203 or is registered in the error database 203. If the user terminal 10 does not recover even after executing certain measures, it is considered that this is an unprecedented new error phenomenon, and data collection and repair work are performed by intervening human intervention.
This diagnosis and recovery process is executed by the manufacturer terminal 30 controlling the user terminal 10 via the manufacturer server 20 based on the data input by the maintenance personnel.

When the restoration process is completed, the manufacturer terminal 30 remotely displays the error content and the final treatment content on the liquid crystal display unit 110 of the user terminal 10 based on the input of the maintenance staff (step 37). Thereby, the user can confirm the restoration process.
Finally, the manufacturer server 20 updates the error database 203 and the failure history 204 based on the input information of the maintenance staff, and ends the process (step 38).

Specifically, for example, the following can be considered as a diagnosis and recovery process for a software error as described above.
(1) When the error code is “ALM 2000 0000”, the error code is registered in the error database 203, and “EEE file replacement” is registered as the correction method, Replacement of the “EEE file” is automatically executed.
(2) However, it is assumed that the error code “ALM 2000 0000” has recurred. In this case, the treatment (1) is not effective.
(3) The maintenance staff operates the manufacturer terminal 30 and sequentially checks the related files of the “EEE file” by remote control. As a result, it is assumed that the “KKK file” is not in a normal state. As a result, it is confirmed that the error code “ALM 2000 0000” occurs even if the “EEE file” is illegal, but also occurs because of the “KKK file”.
(4) The maintenance staff corrects the “KKK file” by remote control.
(5) When the correction is completed, the maintenance staff updates the correction method of the error code “ALM 2000 0000” from “EEE file replacement” to “EEE file and KKK file replacement”.
With the above operation, when an error code “ALM 2000 0000” subsequently occurs, “EEE file” and “KKK file” are automatically corrected.

Next, a hardware error processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
First, prior to processing, user information obtained based on a user registration postcard sent from a user in advance or via the Web is registered in the user information 205 in the maker server 20.

  When the manufacturer server 20 determines that the error type is a hardware error based on the error database 203 (step 50), the manufacturer server 20 instructs the user terminal 10 to automatically re-execute self-diagnosis. The user terminal 10 activates the self-diagnosis program 1123 in the nonvolatile memory 112 and automatically executes the diagnosis again (step 51).

If the user terminal 10 has not recovered, the second diagnosis result information is reported to the manufacturer server 20 (No in step 52).
When there is a second report, the manufacturer server 20 determines that the user terminal 10 has not been restored, and updates the failure history 204 and searches the error database 203 as in steps 34 and 35. Then, information such as error contents is acquired and displayed on the maker terminal 30. Further, in preparation for replacement of the failed part, the user information corresponding to the user ID is searched and acquired from the user information 205 using the user ID in the diagnosis result as a key (steps 53 and 54).

Here, even if there is no second notification, if the same error has occurred in the past, there is a high possibility that it will recur in the future.
For this reason, the maker server 20 uses the user ID and the error code in the first report as a precaution even when the user terminal 10 is restored (Yes in step 52) and there is no second report. It is searched whether or not the same error code as the error code is registered in the failure history 204 (step 55).

  The determination that the second diagnosis result information has not been reported is made, for example, when no problem is detected as a result of the diagnosis in step 51, information indicating this is sent from the user terminal 10 to the manufacturer server 20. This can be done by sending. It is also possible to determine that there has been no second notification when no information on the diagnosis result is transmitted within a predetermined time.

If the same history is detected (Yes in step 56), the user information is acquired in the same manner as in step 53, and then the processing after step 54 is executed.
If the same history is not detected (No in step 56), the process is terminated. At this time, it is also preferable to automatically update that the failure history record corresponding to the error in the failure history 204 created in step 15 has been recovered by automatic re-execution of diagnosis.

  Next, in the case of Yes in step 53 and step 56, if user information cannot be acquired, that is, if user registration is not performed for the user of the user terminal 10 (No in step 57), the user A message indicating how to deal with an error such as the need for parts replacement is remotely displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 110 of the terminal 10 (step 58), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when user registration is performed for the user of the user terminal 10 (Yes in step 57), the liquid crystal display unit 110 of the user terminal 10 has an error handling method such as the need for component replacement. A message to be displayed is displayed remotely (step 59), and the registered user is contacted for repair reception (step 60).

This repair reception notification is made by automatically transmitting to the registered user's e-mail address the content of the error and the need for component replacement. In addition, if you cannot send e-mail, we will contact you by telephone.
Then, the failed part is replaced in the user terminal 10 (step 61). The replacement of the failed part is performed manually by maintenance personnel.
Lastly, the maker server 20 updates the part name and replacement date of replacement to the failure history 204 based on the input of the maintenance staff (step 62).

Next, with reference to FIG. 14, another error processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of the present embodiment will be described.
First, when the manufacturer server 20 searches the error database 203 to determine that the error type is another error (step 70), the manufacturer server 20 instructs the user terminal 10 to automatically re-execute self-diagnosis. The user terminal 10 activates the self-diagnosis program 1123 in the nonvolatile memory 112 and automatically executes the diagnosis again (step 71).

  Then, when the user terminal 10 is restored, the process is terminated (Yes in Step 72). At this time, it is also preferable to automatically update that the failure history record corresponding to the error in the failure history 204 created in step 15 has been recovered by automatic re-execution of diagnosis.

If the user terminal 10 has not recovered, the second diagnosis result information is reported to the manufacturer server 20 (No in step 72).
When there is a second report, the manufacturer server 20 determines that the user terminal 10 has not been restored, updates the failure history 204 and searches the error database 203 as in step 53. Further, in order to provide supplementary explanation to the user of the user terminal 10, the user information 205 is searched by the user ID, and the user information about the user is acquired (step 73).
Further, the error content and the like are displayed on the maker terminal 30 and a message requesting remote operation diagnosis is displayed on the maker terminal 30 (step 74).

As a result, the maintenance staff can confirm the error content and the message requesting the remote operation diagnosis.
The manufacturer terminal 30 is connected to the user terminal 10 via the manufacturer server 20 by executing the line connection program 202 in the manufacturer server 20. Then, by executing the remote operation program 206, the system control program 1122 and the remote operation program 1126 in the user terminal 10 are executed, and data collection and diagnosis processing are performed by remote operation from the manufacturer terminal 30 (step 75).
This data collection and diagnosis process is executed by the maker terminal 30 controlling the user terminal 10 via the maker server 20 based on the input data by the maintenance personnel.

  Then, based on the diagnosis result, the maintenance personnel again determine the error type (steps 76 and 78), and in the case of a software error, the software error processing shown in FIG. 12 is subsequently executed (step 77). In the case of a hardware error, the hardware error processing shown in FIG.

Further, when it is not possible to determine the software error or the hardware error, and when the user information cannot be acquired in Step 73, that is, when the user of the user terminal 10 is not registered (Step 80). No), the error contents currently known and the necessary error handling method are remotely displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 110 of the user terminal 10 (step 81).
If the user registration has been performed (Yes in Step 80), the error content that has been found at this stage and the necessary error handling method are remotely displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 110 of the user terminal 10 (Step 82). Supplementary explanation is given to the registered contact (telephone / email) (step 83).

If the error code cannot be acquired as a result of the self-diagnosis in the user terminal 10 in step 13, the error database 203 cannot be searched based on the error code in step 16. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that the software error or the hardware error could not be determined without searching the error database 203 as another error.
In step 73, the error database 203 is not searched, and in step 74, the remote operation instruction is issued to the user terminal 10 without displaying the error content.
Finally, the manufacturer server 20 updates the error database 203 and updates the contents of the recovery work by manual remote operation to the failure history 204 based on the input of the maintenance staff (step 84).

Next, with reference to FIG. 15, an installation process procedure in the non-volatile memory in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of this embodiment will be described.
The user terminal 10 is shipped in a state where each program shown in FIG. 3 is stored in the non-volatile memory 112, but can be installed from the attached CD-ROM 40 according to the following procedure as needed. It is. Of course, even when shipped in a state where each program is not stored in the nonvolatile memory 112, it is necessary to install from the CD-ROM 40.

First, when the CD-ROM 40 is loaded in the CD-ROM device 105 of the user terminal 10 (Yes in step 90), the user terminal 10 starts the automatic installation program 401 stored in the CD-ROM 40 (step 91). ).
Then, by executing this automatic installation program 401, the system startup program 402, system control program 403, self-diagnosis program 404, log collection program 405, modem control program 406, remote operation program 407, correction stored in the CD-ROM 40 are corrected. The program 408 is copied to the nonvolatile memory 112 (step 92).

Next, it is confirmed whether or not the error history file 1127 in the nonvolatile memory 112 can be read correctly. At this time, if the error history file 1127 is damaged or has not been created, it is determined to be abnormal (No in step 93).
Then, an area for the error history file 1127 is secured in the nonvolatile memory 112 (step 94). If it is determined that the error history file 1127 is normal (Yes in step 93), the process ends.

Next, an error database update processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis and repair system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The error database update process shown in the figure is appropriately executed in the software error process procedure shown in FIG. 12, the hardware error process procedure shown in FIG. 13, and the other error process procedure shown in FIG. This will be described in detail.

When an error occurs, the manufacturer server 20 receives an error code from the user terminal 10 (step 100).
Next, the maker server 20 searches the error database 203 using the error code as a key (step 101). If a corresponding record exists (Yes in step 102), the maker server 20 corresponds to the error code from the error database 203. Get a modification command. Then, the user terminal 10 is requested to automatically execute the correction command, and the correction command is executed by the user terminal 10 (step 103).

If there is no corresponding record in the error database 203 (No in step 102), correction by remote operation from the manufacturer terminal 30 by a maintenance worker is performed (step 104).
Then, the manufacturer server 20 additionally registers the current treatment in the error database 203 by an operation from the manufacturer terminal 30 by the maintenance staff (step 105).

At this time, a correction command for correcting the error is registered in the error database 203 so that it can be automatically corrected by the manufacturer server 20 when the same error occurs thereafter. It is preferable to register the file.
As a result, if the same error occurs later in the user terminal 10 of the same person or another user, an error code search can be performed using the error database 203 in which a treatment method and a correction program for the error are additionally registered. As a result, it is possible to automatically perform recovery without requiring manual intervention by maintenance personnel.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the above embodiment, It cannot be overemphasized that a various change implementation is possible within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in step 93, a response request indicating whether or not the area of the error history file 1127 is necessary is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 110, and when there is a response input indicating necessity, the area of the error history file 1127 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 112. It is possible to make appropriate changes such as performing the securing process.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the user terminal in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the non-volatile memory in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the error history in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the manufacturer server in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the error database in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the failure history in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the user information in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the data for correction in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the maker CD-ROM in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the error discrimination | determination processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the software error processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the hardware error processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the other error processing procedure in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the installation processing procedure to the non-volatile memory in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the update process sequence of the error database in the computer remote diagnosis repair system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 User terminal 101 External power supply device 102 CPU
103 Memory 104 Hard Disk 105 CD-ROM Device 106 External Display Device 107 External Keyboard 108 Rechargeable Battery 109 Sub CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 Liquid crystal display part 111 Modem 112 Non-volatile memory 1121 System starting program 1122 System control program 1123 Self-diagnosis program 1124 Log collection program 1125 Modem control program 1126 Remote operation program 1127 Error history file 1128 Correction program 20 Manufacturer server 201 Processor 202 Line connection Program 203 Error database 204 Failure history 205 User information 206 Remote operation program 207 Correction data 30 Manufacturer terminal 40 CD-ROM
401 Automatic installation program 402 System start program 403 System control program 404 Self-diagnosis program 405 Log collection program 406 Modem control program 407 Remote operation program 408 Correction program 50 Internet

Claims (7)

A computer remote diagnosis and repair system for recovering a user terminal in which an error has occurred via a network,
When an error occurs, the self-diagnosis is executed, the self-diagnosis result information including the error code of the error is transmitted to the maker server, and a predetermined correction program is executed based on the correction command received from the maker server. Or a user terminal that executes remote operation from the manufacturer terminal via the manufacturer server;
An error database having an error code, an error type, and a correction command is provided, the error database is searched using the error code received from the user terminal, and the corresponding error type is acquired, so that the error is a software error. Whether the error is a hardware error or other error, and based on the determination result, the user terminal is caused to execute the correction command corresponding to the error code, or from the manufacturer terminal. A manufacturer server that executes remote control;
A computer remote diagnosis and repair system comprising: a maker terminal that transmits and receives remote operation information to and from the user terminal via a maker server and a network. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the error is a software error,
In response to a request from the manufacturer server, the user terminal executes a predetermined correction program based on the correction command, re-executes a self-diagnosis, and transmits the result of the self-diagnosis to the manufacturer server.
When the manufacturer server indicates that the result of the self-diagnosis indicates that the user terminal has not been restored, a remote operation from the manufacturer terminal is executed,
The computer remote diagnosis and repair system according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal executes a remote operation from the manufacturer terminal via the manufacturer server. When the manufacturer server includes a failure history database that stores history information of errors that have occurred in the user terminal, and as a result of the determination, the error is determined to be a hardware error,
The user terminal re-executes self-diagnosis in response to a request from the manufacturer server, and transmits the result of the self-diagnosis to the manufacturer server.
When the manufacturer server indicates that the result of the self-diagnosis indicates that the user terminal has not been restored or that the user terminal has been restored, the error code has already been stored in the failure history database. If registered, perform remote operation from the manufacturer terminal,
The computer remote diagnosis and repair system according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal executes a remote operation from the manufacturer terminal via the manufacturer server. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the error is neither a software error nor a hardware error,
The user terminal re-executes self-diagnosis in response to a request from the manufacturer server, and transmits the result of the self-diagnosis to the manufacturer server.
When the manufacturer server indicates that the result of the self-diagnosis indicates that the user terminal has not been restored, a remote operation from the manufacturer terminal is executed,
The computer remote diagnosis repair system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the user terminal executes a remote operation from the manufacturer terminal via the manufacturer server. A computer remote diagnosis and repair server for recovering a user terminal in which an error has occurred via a network,
An error database containing error codes, error types, and correction commands;
By searching the error database using the error code received from the user terminal and acquiring the corresponding error type, it is determined whether the error is a software error, a hardware error, or another error. And a processing device for causing the user terminal to execute the correction command corresponding to the error code or to perform a remote operation from a manufacturer terminal based on the determination result. Computer remote diagnostic repair server. A computer remote diagnosis and repair program for restoring a user terminal in which an error has occurred via a network to a manufacturer server having an error database having an error code, an error type, and a correction command,
In the manufacturer server,
By searching the error database using the error code received from the user terminal and acquiring the corresponding error type, it is possible to determine whether the error is a software error, a hardware error, or another error. A computer remote diagnosis / repair program for causing the user terminal to execute the correction command corresponding to the error code or to perform a remote operation from a manufacturer terminal based on the determination result. A computer remote diagnosis and repair method for recovering a user terminal in which an error has occurred via a network by a manufacturer server having an error database having an error code, an error type, and a correction command,
When an error occurs, the user terminal executes self-diagnosis, and transmits the self-diagnosis result information including the error code of the error to the manufacturer server,
The manufacturer server searches the error database using the error code received from the user terminal and acquires the corresponding error type, so that the error is any one of a software error, a hardware error, and other errors. And based on the determination result, the user terminal is caused to execute the correction command corresponding to the error code, or to execute a remote operation from the manufacturer terminal,
The user terminal executes a predetermined correction program based on the correction command received from the manufacturer server, or executes a remote operation via the manufacturer server from the manufacturer terminal. Diagnostic repair method.

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